By Mike Finney

Protecting the environment on this 52nd annual Earth Day — or any other day for that matter — doesn’t have to be a growing burden on the wallet.

Megan Pleasanton, a Master Gardener and extension educator for the Cooperative Extension Program at Delaware State University, said there are plenty of dirt-cheap ways to contribute to the health of the planet.

Perhaps her favorite strategy is planting native plants, while steering clear of invasive species.

“It’s important (to plant) natives for your native insects to be able to munch on,” she said. “There’s a Delaware native-plant list. There are lots of native-plant options.”

That directory can be found on the University of Delaware’s Cooperative Extension website and includes some of Ms. Pleasanton’s favorites — bee balm, blue false indigo, jack-in-the-pulpit and purple coneflower.

“A native plant is one that originated and occurs naturally in a region,” she said. “Your ecosystem depends on those plants, so that the insects can eat on those plants, and then, the local birds can eat on those insects that have eaten on those plants.

“I don’t think the average person understands how important planting natives can be just to the wildlife and the insects around us. We need to protect what’s here and to keep it here.”

Native plants are beneficial for people, too, Ms. Pleasanton added. More than 90% of land in the First State is privately owned; therefore, using natives on such properties greatly expands the natural environment.

Further, they provide significantly more food sources and habitats for birds and other wildlife, as well as save water, help manage stormwater and prevent erosion.

Businesses and residents can also benefit, as the blooms can reduce the cost and need for mowing, fertilizing and pesticides.

“Compost is also good. It helps retain moisture for your plants and helps to keep the weeds at bay,” Ms. Pleasanton said. “Mulch and compost are super-important.”

To that end, the city of Dover will be giving away leaf compost and wood chips at Schutte Park on April 29 and May 6, 13 and 20 from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. For information, call the Department of Public Works at 302-736-7025.

And there are other inexpensive ways to safeguard our environment, Ms. Pleasanton said.

“Compost bins are available from the Kent County Cooperative Extension office, and they’re reasonably priced at $20,” she said. “Other things could be to just get outside and clean up on the beach. Just get out and pick up some trash. That’s always a good thing. That’s why I really like the Adopt-a-Highway Program.”

Invasive plants being nipped in the bud
Senate Bill 22, whose primary sponsor was Sen. Stephanie Hansen, D-Middletown, was signed into law by Gov. John Carney in mid-March 2021 to end the commercial sale of invasive plants in Delaware.

That was music to the ears of Ms. Pleasanton and other environmentalists.

People selling, importing or planting invasive species in Delaware could face a $50-$500 fine when the law goes into effect in July, as SB 22 prohibits plants not native to the ecosystem and that cause environmental and economic harm to birds and people.

“The rapid loss of Delaware’s native plants, insects, fish, reptiles and birds is a crisis that demands a concerted, cooperative response,” Sen. Hansen said. “No one else can protect our environment for us, and we all stand to lose if we allow this to continue.

“By passing this legislation, we are finally ending the import, export, sale, transport, distribution or propagation of any plant identified as invasive by the secretary of the Delaware Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the Native Species Commission.”

And the timing is ideal for the new regulation: According to the U.S. Forest Service, 42% of the nation’s endangered and threatened plant species are in decline due to invasive varieties.

DNREC marking Earth Day with ‘Marsh Madness’
The Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control invites Delawareans to celebrate Earth Day 2022 by visiting a tidal salt marsh, which is dubs “one of the most amazing ecosystems on earth.”

The Aquatic Resources Education Center, near Smyrna, will host “Marsh Madness” one-hour tours highlighting the salt marsh at the Tony Florio Woodland Beach Wildlife Area from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday.

The center’s educators will give participants an up-close view of the marsh and some of its aquatic life.

The body of water connects to the Delaware Bay through a network of tidal streams, and visitors can watch fiddler crabs on the banks during low tide and sometimes see muskrats.

Registration is required for the free event by emailing pearlie.franklin@delaware.gov.

Earth Day’s legacy

It has been more than 50 years since the first Earth Day was celebrated in the United States on April 22, 1970. The initiative has mobilized millions of Americans from all walks of life to foster protection of the planet. It is now recognized as the globe’s largest civic event each year.